Jimmy Evert, father and coach of Hall of Fame tennis great Chrissie Evert, passed away Friday night. He was 92.
Chrissie Evert, an 18-time major singles champion who attended St. Thomas Aquinas High, tweeted out her sentiments : “It’s an honor and a blessing to have been your daughter. You will be in my heart forever. RIP Dad…XO.’’
Jimmy Evert was born in Chicago and was a two-time U.S. age-group champion. He won the 1940 Illinois state high school tennis championship for Senn High. In 1947 he won the men’s title at the Canadian Championship.
He taught all five of his children on the Holiday Park tennis courts in Fort Lauderdale where he served as the tennis director for several decades.